‘Other laws’: Haman’s accusation against the Jews in the book of Esther
This study seeks to explain Haman’s reference to Jewish law (דָּת) in Masoretic Esther 3.8, given the lack of any obvious manifestation of the law in the book, or even of religious practice. The question of Jewish law in the book of Esther is closely related to the much more widely discussed questio...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2022
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2022, Volume: 47, Issue: 1, Pages: 43-55 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ethnic identity
/ Judaism
/ Iran (Antiquity)
/ Law
/ Bible. Ester 3,8
/ Haman Biblical character
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Haman
B Persian law B Esther B דָּת (hebräisch) B דָּת B Jewish ethnic identity |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This study seeks to explain Haman’s reference to Jewish law (דָּת) in Masoretic Esther 3.8, given the lack of any obvious manifestation of the law in the book, or even of religious practice. The question of Jewish law in the book of Esther is closely related to the much more widely discussed question of God’s absence. This paper suggests that the book of Esther uses Haman’s accusation to invite its readers to question whether Jewish דָּת exists, and if so, whether it conflicts with Persian (or royal) law. This question persists with the reader throughout the whole book. Ultimately, we argue that the (Masoretic) book of Esther paints Jewish identity as fundamentally compatible with Persian law. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/03090892221116908 |
